October 1, 2018

Figuring out how to fundraise can be a stressful process. Should we do a 5k? Should we do a car wash? Do we just ask for donations on our website or Facebook page? There are so many ways that you can reach out to the community, but you need to find what is right for your organization. Sometimes with all the options it might seem like your head is spinning, but Amazon has simplified it all.

In this day and age, anything you can imagine can be done or sold on the internet. So why shouldn’t we all take advantage of that? The internet is used to buy whatever product that you need because it’s no hassle. Look for what you want, order it and have it delivered straight to your door, just like that! With the ease of shopping because of the worldwide web, why can’t donating to your favorite organization be that easy? With Amazon Smile it is!
So what is Amazon smile you ask? Well let me tell you:
At this point, most people know about Amazon, but did you know while you, your family,
your friends and pretty much anyone shopping can donate with just the click of a button? Smile will donate .5% of every purchase that is made while they are shopping as long as they have selected your organization. They just need to go to
smile.amazon.com using their regular account, and make sure that they have selected your business before they make their final purchase. Now that might not seem like a lot, but think of how many times people shop on amazon, it’s not a once in a while thing at all.

In order to be eligible you need to have a registered EIN number as well as be a 501(c)(3) in good standing. Your organization also must not be a private fundraiser. Once you meet
those requirements, a designated administrator from your business can then set you up
with an EFT account. Every quarter your donations will be put directly into the account that you provide, easy as that! Unfortunately, they are not able to do paper checks, they will only do it as a direct deposit. The minimum they will deposit into your account is 5.00, so make sure that you are spreading the word to all that you know, to shop Amazon Smile with your organizations name!
While you can, by word of mouth, tell your friends and family to make sure they are thinking of you when they shop, you can also post about it on any social media that you may have. You can make a Facebook post or you can put the link and information on your web page. If you still aren’t sure how you want to put this information out to the public, Amazon has your back! Once you sign on to your organizations account on amazon, you can go to their marketing tools area where they can guide you in the right direction, such as a social media banner.
Fundraising can be difficult, but Amazon Smile has made it easier for you to do so with thesetype of donations. All you have to do is post about it!

May 5, 2017

Nonprofit animal shelters need donations to survive. Without funds you have no means to educate or help animals in your community. Every year, new animal rescue organizations pop-up competing for donors’ time and recognition. These new organizations make it difficult to retain your existing donors. Since your donors don’t have bottomless pockets, it may be time to put your traditional fundraising efforts aside and try something new.

Here are four new ways to raise more money in 2017.

Go Mobile.

More than 90% of US adults own a Smartphone today. The majority of people take them everywhere they go. It’s no surprise that mobile is a trend to follow in 2017. Text to give is a way for donors to send a text to a unique number to start the donation process. The initial text triggers a return message that links to a secure form to finalize payment information. Since it’s something they can do anywhere, more donors will use this path.

Invest in remarketing ads.

Remarketing is a paid advertising technique you can use to follow website visitors around the Internet. Your ad pops up on websites they visit. It acts as a subtle reminder that they were interested in you and drives them back to your website.

E-mail flash fundraising drives.

One third of all online donations come from e-mail marketing. One day flash email fundraising drives are a great way to generate revenue for special needs like an injured animal intake.

Send out a series of e-mails to your contact list. Highlight the animal’s history, includes pictures, and explains what they need and how much it will cost. Divide your overall goal by half of your donor list and suggest this as a donation amount to increase the chances of meeting your goal.

Sign up for Amazon Smile.

A simple way to raise more money is register online with Amazon Smile. Amazon donates a portion of sales linked to your nonprofit organization. It’s an easy way to generate passive income to support your mission.

Try a few of these options to generate more revenue for your nonprofit animal shelter this year.

July 22, 2016

Animal shelters and rescues have the weight of the helpless animal population on their shoulders. They find ways and methods to accomplish their significant missions and visions with minimal funding and resources. Animal shelters and rescues rely heavily on the support of donors who provide needed items as well as financial donations. The last thing they need to add to their daily worries is the risk of a cyber attack that compromises their donor’s confidential information. According to a recent study released by The Global State of Information Security, security incidents increased by 38% and theft of “hard” information rose by 56% in 2015 when compared to 2014. With the threat of cyber attacks on the rise, it is a real concern for many nonprofit animal shelters and rescues. Implement a cyber security program to protect your donors and your animal shelter or rescue.

Here are eight items to include in your program:

Backup your data. Create a backup of information stored on your computers and server daily. Hackers have the power to compromise your electronic information, making it inaccessible. A backup provides you with an up to date list of your donors and their contact information, simplifying the notification process (a little at least).

Secure physical data. Store physical donor files and confidential information in a locked, fireproof filing cabinet. Allow access to this information on an as-needed basis. The fewer hands that physically touch the files, the smaller chance they can be misplaced.

Limit the information you collect. A great rule of thumb to implement immediately is “if you don’t need it, don’t ask for it.” The less data you collect from donors, the less information a hacker gains during a breach.

Purge unneeded information. If you have years of donor information stored in a back room at your animal shelter or on discs, it may be time to purge it. Keep only information you need. Often times, older files are stored and forgotten about. Holding onto donor files and information increases your chance of suffering from a breach.

Update computers and software. Update computers and software programs on a consistent basis. Companies release updates and patches to help protect their customers from data breaches. If updates are left unattended, your risk for a breach increases. If you are not technology savvy, hire a local IT company to help keep your system up to date and secure.

Use encryption. Use a data or donor collection service that encrypts the information your donors enter. Encryption encodes the information making it only accessible by those authorized to view it.

Train your volunteer staff. Volunteers are a significant help to animal shelters and rescues. They can also be a great risk. If your volunteer team is not internet or computer intelligent, they may unknowingly download malware or spyware. Educate them on what is an acceptable use of the organization’s computers and emails. Make it mandatory that downloads are not acceptable and should be approved by the director. Phishing schemes are a common hacker specialty. Train your team on these to protect your shelter or rescue.

Purchase cyber liability insurance. Cyber liability insurance is beneficial if it is purchased prior to a cyber breach or theft. Cyber liability insurance protects your nonprofit animal shelter at the time of the breach by paying defense and settlement costs. The best cyber insurance policies take care of the state required notifications, which can be a long and treacherous task.

Cyber breaches are a serious threat to nonprofits like animal shelters and rescues. The unfortunate news is hackers are becoming more creative in their schemes, making it difficult for companies to keep information secure. Implement a cyber security program outlined here to protect your nonprofit animal shelter or rescue.

February 2, 2015

Valentine’s Day is not just for humans. This holiday that celebrates love is for animals too. Some of the animals in your local area that could use a bit of love, compassion and attention this Valentine’s Day are the ones in shelters without homes yet. If your wondering how you can help the animals in shelters in a special way this Valentine’s Day the ideas below should help get you off to a good start.Offer Heart Shaped Treats
Valentine’s Day, is the holiday of love. Little hearts help symbolize the holiday. To help treat some of the dogs and cats in the shelter you can bring some heart shaped treats to them. Even if you cannot find heart, shaped dog and cat treats, you could also pick up regular cat and dog treats instead.Pampering the Animals
On Valentine’s Day, some humans enjoy some pampering at a spa to help achieve good looks for a romantic evening with a partner. For cats and dogs, pampering is necessary to for showing love and compassion. Why not, give dogs and cats baths, clip their claws and trim their nails, brush their furry coats and help these animals look sharp to help increase their chances of becoming adopted. Nothing would be better for shelter animals than to find their loving forever home on Valentine’s Day.Create Loving Greeting Cards
Valentine’s Day is all about love and one of the ways you can show love to others as well as to the animals at the shelter is by creating a Valentine’s Day backdrop, taking photos of each animal in the shelter and creating greeting cards. Do not forget to place a loving description of each animal you take a photo of on the back of the greeting card to help increase their chances of adoption. Once the greeting cards are made, mail them out to random people in your local community to get the word out about the animals staying at the shelter. Who knows, maybe you will reach someone’s heart and help an amazing animal get adopted.
End Notes for Valentine’s Fun at the Shelter
Celebrating Valentine’s Day at the shelter is easy, and with the ideas above you should know how to start the day with some fun for the shelter staff, volunteers and the animals temporarily staying there. Just remember, to spread lots of love to those furry pals too.

January 21, 2015

Every year several animals are put to death in kill shelters simply due to overpopulation and not enough available loving homes for the unwanted animals. The only way to stop kill shelters from putting animals down is to stop the overpopulation of homeless cats and dogs. If your wondering what you can do to help stop pet over populations the tips below can assist.1. Offer donations to shelters and clinics to help spayed female cats and dogs that need it.2. Offer donations to veterinary clinics and shelters for male kittens and puppies that need neutering.3. Adopting a pet that needs a home can mean less animals on the streets, which means less unnecessary liters being produced.4. Becoming a foster parent for animals in shelters that are overloaded with animals can help provide more room in shelters to help get overpopulated pets off the streets and from producing more unneeded liters.5. Preventing pet overpopulation also begins with you making sure your own pets have been spayed or neutered.6. One of the ways vets can help stop the overpopulation of pets is by offer free spaying and neutering clinics to people who cannot afford to get their pets fixed, but wish to do so to prevent pet overpopulation.7. Animals that are abandoned on the streets need to be rescued and brought to shelters and clinics. The less cats and dogs on the streets the less liters occur and euthanasia.8. Providing more resources to help with the adoption and fostering process can help.9. Donating plenty of food, water, pet care products, bedding and toys to local animal shelters can help the shelters provide for more rescued or abandoned animals, which means a reduction in cat and dog populations.10. Opening your own non-profit shelter or rescue service can help get unwanted cats and dogs off the streets and from producing more liters.11. Volunteering at your local animal shelter can help reduce animal population. Sometimes all shelters need is some extra pairs of hands to help take in more animals.12. Preventing animal hoarding is a huge way to prevent animal overpopulation.13. Creating a non-profit safe drop off spot for unwanted pets can help drastically.14. Prevent the selling of fighting dogs. Once a dog is done fighting it’s put out onto the streets. A particular breed that is often used for fighting is the pitbull.15. Make sure stray cats and dogs are rescued by animal patrol.

January 12, 2015

A newborn kitten that has been abandoned by its mother will need intervention to ensure he or she survives. Proper feeding is one of those critical interventions. Feeding a kitten can be hard work, but it also incredibly rewarding. We’ve laid out the 10 necessary steps of feeding a newborn kitten and exactly what yo’ll need to do it.
What You’ll Need:
• Kitten Milk Replacement Formula
• Kitten-sized bottles & nipples
• A warm towel
Feeding Instructions:
1. All materials should be sterilized before being used to feed a kitten. Experts suggest sterilizing kitten sized baby bottles and nipples (or syringes) in a boiling water bath for about five minutes. Allow them to cool completely before use.
2. Follow the directions on the KMR or emergency formula, for feeding size. It may be necessary to weigh the kitten prior to feeding to ensure it is getting the proper amount of formula. This can be done on a kitchen scale
3. To warm the formula, place the bottle in a hot water bath for a few minutes. Never microwave KMR, as this will cause pockets of hot and cold formula.
4. Before you being feeding, it is best to test the formula on your forearm, just as you would with a baby’s formula. It should feel warm, but not hot.
5. You also should test the nipple to ensure the flow is correct. The nipple should not drip when upside down. It should only drip when gentle pressure is applied.
6. Before you being feeding ensure the kitten is warm and comfortable. Some experts suggest wrapping the kitten in a towel or blanket before feeding.
7. To feed the kitchen place him prone on your lap with his head down. Place the bottle into his mouth, and allow the kitten to nurse. The nursing reflex should kick right in, however, stroking the top of the kitten’s head can help it along.
8. Just like a baby, kittens often need to be burped after feeding. Hold the kitten under the abdomen and lightly tap its back to stimulate a burp.
9. Once burped, the kitten will likely want to sleep, so place it in a warm area, and allow him or her to sleep uninterrupted.
10. Repeat the feedings ever 2 hours or so. For a newborn kitten. Generally, a kitten will require about 1.1 ounces of formula spread out over 9 to 12 feedings.

January 5, 2015

Every day animals are mistreated. One of the ways to help stop all kinds of animal abuse is to get involved with the animal welfare program and do something about it. If you are wondering, what you can do to make a difference in the lives of animals the tips below can provide some insight to help you get started.
#1 Become an Animal Welfare Public Speaker
Stopping the mistreatment of animal’s starts by telling the public about animal welfare along with how the program helps save and protects the lives of animals all over the world. You as a public speaker could share important information about the animals you love and want to protect with schools, special clubs, local neighborhood groups, religious gatherings and special events.
#2 Gather Donation Money for the Animal Welfare Program
One of the best ways to help animal protection programs is to collect donations that will provide the financial support that is necessary. It takes many financial means to take care of animals in need. Animals need shelter, toys, food, water, medicines and veterinary care. Placing canisters in public facilities in your hometown in places such as diners, grocery stores, doctor’s offices and any place that allows the donation canisters goes along ways to gathering that financial means necessary to help improve the lives of animals in need.
#3 Volunteer at a Shelter
Volunteering at a shelter is helpful. You could walk and play with dogs and puppies, snuggle and play with kittens and cats and help keep them well feed and bathed so adoption is possible. You could also help shelters out by becoming a foster parent for pets in need of homes to prevent them from being put down in kill shelters. Every year several loving animals that are well behaved are put down simply because there is not enough room in shelters. Be those animals voices and speak out for them to help save their life and find them a good home.
#4 Help find Affordable Pet Clinics
Pets deserve proper medical care and that includes wellness exams and low cost spayed and neutering procedures to prevent unnecessary litters. If someone you know needs help finding an affordable clinic for their pets, help them find one. You could even offer to pay for a pet visit if the owner is going through financial hardship and wants their pet in good health.